Season 6: Resolution
by Joe's girl
Summary: What happens after the clock strikes 6 a.m. at the end of day 6? Mostly BillKaren fluff, but with cameos from Morris, Chloe, Nadia and Doyle. Special Guest Stars: Jack and Audrey! Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1: Bill

_Hi! Like a bad penny, I've turned up again! My muse and I have argued long and loud about this one. I've told her that fluff just isn't my style. Not that I don't write fluff, but I'd like to think I write "fluff with substance"! – and from my perspective, this is just fluff. Anyway, my muse, who was finally smart enough to invest in #30 sunscreen, had come home from the pool one rainy day and talked me into writing this. She feels that many of us were lacking resolution from the season 6 finale and needed to find that resolution. And that is what the story is all about: finding resolution for the major players, although I must admit it is largely a Karen/Bill story. _

_The story will be told from different perspectives. Chapter 1 takes picks up just as season 6 ends and Bill is returning to CTU. It will be from his perspective. Later chapters will be told from the perspectives of others. So sit back and read. Let me know what you think. I've convinced myself that this isn't as good as my other stories, but I still wanted to write it, if only to give myself some season 6 resolution._

_DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters are the property of FOX._

**SEASON 6: The Resolution**

Chapter 1: Bill

5:45 am Los Angeles, California

Bill Buchanan let out a quiet sigh of relief as he set the chopper down on the helipad at CTU. It was a lot easier landing there than it had been landing on the oil platform but still, he was happy to put the bird down. He hadn't flown in years and graceful landings had never been his forte anyway, so doing it again with no simulator practice had been nerve wracking.

The landing crew ran to the chopper as the rotors slowed down. They all looked at their former boss with awe and surprise. None of them knew that he had piloted helicopters for a short time many years ago.

"Nice landing, sir," the crew chief told him. "Ms. Yassir is waiting for you inside."

"Thanks," Bill replied. He angled his head toward Cheng and spoke to the crew chief, "Secure the prisoner." He spoke as if he were still in a position to give orders and the crew chief responded as if Bill were still his boss giving Bill a nod and a "Yes, sir." "Come on, Josh," Bill said as he reached out to help Josh Bauer from the chopper. "Your mother's waiting inside."

They all headed into CTU. Bill faced the moment with mixed emotions. He had the satisfaction of knowing that he had Cheng in custody and the son of a bitch would finally pay for what he had done to Jack and Audrey. He had also brought Josh safely back to his mother. Those were both worthy accomplishments. On the other hand, in the process of doing that, he had broken every rule in the book and he was going to be arrested and charged with every one of them. The good outcome might make a jury feel a little generous but even the best lawyer wasn't going to get him off scot-free. And 3000 miles away Karen was facing the same fate. His greatest fear was not going to prison for his actions but being kept away from Karen for years and, perhaps, for the rest of his life. He had to acknowledge that at 53 years of age, if he received a 25 year sentence, he could well die in prison having never seen his wife again.

On top of it all, Bill was confused by his feelings for Karen. He feared what would happen to her and the possibility of not seeing her again, but at the same time, he was still angry and hurt by her actions. Deep down he understood why she did what she did, but in the less rational, more emotional part of his brain, all he could think was that the only woman he had ever really loved had let him down and she had let him down hard. When she called him to tell him that she was about to be arrested, he had responded to her saying, "I love you very much" with a noncommittal "Me, too." That wasn't a lie. He did love her. He loved her more than he had ever loved anyone, but he wasn't sure that he could ever completely forgive her.

Bill's mind came back to the present as he rounded a corner and saw a frantic Marilyn Bauer step anxiously from the conference room. "There's your mother," Bill told Josh. He smiled as the boy ran to her and hugged her.

Then it was on to Cheng. "You'll be debriefed at the Federal building," he told the prisoner.

"My people will never abandon me the way you abandoned Jack Bauer!" Cheng spat.

"Get him out of here," Bill said angrily, but Cheng had struck a chord. The government had abandoned Jack and Bill felt guilty. Yes, some attempts had been made to secure Jack's release from the Chinese, but other than those led by Audrey Raines, they were half-hearted at best. Jim Heller along with others had made some overtures to the newly sworn in President Hal Gardner, but Gardner felt he had more pressing issues in the wake of the Charles Logan scandal. For over a year, Bill and Karen had fought side-by-side with Audrey until her supposed death, but then even they gave up the fight. Bill had hoped to resurrect the cause with the election of Wayne Palmer to the Presidency and Karen's high position within the administration. In fact, it was one of the reasons that he had so strongly encouraged her to take the position of National Security Advisor. But with the terrorist attacks starting just days after Palmer took office, any hope of bending the new President's ear regarding the issue of Jack Bauer was pushed to the back burner.

Bill turned and saw Nadia descending the steps from the director's office. They exchanged greetings and compliments. Nadia asked where Jack was and Bill explained. He knew that Nadia didn't understand, which was what he expected. Unless you knew Jack, his actions made little sense, while to Bill, they were perfectly clear.

"I guess that leaves us with just one more order of business," Bill started. "I'll surrender to you here. It's pointless for me to leave and have the FBI arrest me at home."

Nadia smiled. "That won't be necessary, sir," she told him.

"What?"

"I just got off the phone with Tom Lennox. He said that the Vice President has pardoned both you and your wife. I'll have to ask for your resignation and there's about a ream of paperwork for you to fill out, but after that, you'll be free to go. Your service record will be clean and you'll receive a full pension. The FBI team at your house is gone, too. I got a call from the Special Agent in Charge of the LA field office and he said they had an order direct from the White House to cease and desist. So he told his team to return any confiscated items to your house and to return to the field office."

Bill stared at her in disbelief. "What made Vice President Daniels change his mind?"

Nadia shrugged. "Lennox didn't say, but it was going to be hard to prosecute you and Karen after you and Jack successfully rescued Josh Bauer. How was Daniels going to defend his actions? He put a 15 year old boy at risk; basically wrote him off as an acceptable loss. That wasn't going to go over well with the American people, even if the ultimate goal was to stop a war with the Russians. Pardoning the two of you keeps this from becoming front page news. When you sign the pardon agreement, you'll also be agreeing not to make the story public. In a way, Daniels is buying your silence, but at least to me, those sound like terms you can live with."

Bill nodded, his relief was obvious. "I can definitely live with it. I'm sure Karen can, too. Have you talked to Karen? Does she know that I'm safe?" That was the rational part of him talking again. Even if he was angry with her, he didn't want Karen to worry about him.

Nadia nodded. "Lennox had one of his people tell her. She asked to be patched through to you, but at the time she was still under arrest and the request was denied. When I got off the phone with Lennox, he said that Karen was writing a resignation and completing paperwork. When she's finished in about an hour, she'll be escorted from the White House. You should be able to get in touch with her after that. Oh, by the way, Jack will get a pardon, too, if he ever surfaces," Nadia added. "Apparently the consensus was that they couldn't charge him if you and Karen weren't charged and after spending the last 20 months in a Chinese prison, he deserved to be cut some slack. Besides that, a good defense attorney would have pleaded some form of insanity after being tortured by the Chinese and a jury probably would have agreed."

"Good. I'm glad someone finally came to their senses with regards to Jack. He needs some peace," Bill said. "Now maybe he can resume his life with Audrey and find some happiness."

"I'm not so sure about that. Secretary Heller swore out a restraining order against Jack. He can't get within 1500 feet of Audrey."

"Why?" Bill asked. "What possible reason could he have for keeping Jack and Audrey apart?"

"He blames Jack for what happened to his daughter," Nadia explained. "I tried to talk to him. I explained the Jack was the only person who Audrey responded to while she was in CTU custody and he didn't care. He told me that it was none of my business and he got a judge to issue a restraining order."

Bill shook his head. "I'll talk with him later. Maybe I'll have better luck than you, but I'm not counting on it. Heller's a crusty old guy and once he makes up his mind he doesn't change it easily."

"Good luck with that. Listen, I really want to get over to the hospital to see how Doyle is doing. I've signed out to the shift commander so he knows what's going on. Morris is setting up for your debrief in conference room 1."

"Morris is doing the debrief? Why not Chloe?"

"Chloe's in medical right now. She collapsed about an hour ago and had to be taken to medical for treatment."

"Collapsed? Is she alright?"

"I don't have details, but I think that it was just exhaustion and dehydration. You can stop and see her if you like. Morris might be back there with her," Nadia told him.

"I doubt that. They were on the outs when I left here a few hours ago. Morris wanted a transfer out of communications and into another department."

"I know, he told me that, but since Chloe collapsed he's been hanging around medical like an anxious husband. I'm not sure what's going on between them."

"Okay," Bill said running his hand through his hair. He was exhausted and just wanted to get the debrief over with and go home to get some rest. "I'll find Morris and debrief. You go see Doyle. Give him my best."

"I'll do that, sir," Nadia said. She extended her hand and shook hands with Bill. "Good luck to you. It was an honor working with you for the last few months."

"Thank you. I feel the same way about you," Bill returned with a smile. "By the way, Jack told me what happened to Milo. I'm sorry. I know you cared for him."

Nadia looked away, her eyes filling with tears. "He died protecting me," she whispered in an emotion filled voice. "When they asked who was in charge, I hesitated. It should have been me that they killed." She hastily wiped away tears and tried to gain her composure.

"Don't blame yourself, Nadia. You'll drive yourself crazy if you do," Bill wisely advised her.

Nadia bit her lip to keep from crying and nodded. "I'll try to remember that." She glanced around awkwardly as if she was looking around trying to find something for her eyes to rest on that didn't bring back some bad memory. "I better get going," she said.

Bill watched her go and then headed for medical. Realistically, he was a civilian now and shouldn't be walking unescorted around CTU, but no one made any attempt to stop him. Instead, virtually everyone congratulated him on his successful mission and wished him well in the future. He walked into the medical unit and was again greeted with smiles and congratulations by the staff there. He thanked everyone and asked the nurse in charge if he could see Chloe. She directed him down the hall to room 3.

Bill reached the room in a matter of seconds. The door was ajar and it wasn't much of a surprise to hear Chloe and Morris arguing.

"I'm fine, Morris. I can drive myself home," Chloe snarled.

"Bloody hell, Chloe!" Morris ranted. "You collapsed an hour ago. You are not driving yourself home. Wait until I finish debriefing Mr. Buchanan and I'll take you home myself."

Bill knocked lightly to get their attention and then leaned into the room. "I hope I'm not interrupting something," he said. "I just wanted to see how you were doing, Chloe."

"She's as stubborn as ever, Mr. Buchanan," Morris told him throwing up his hands in exasperation. "Explain to her that she needs to rest and that she shouldn't be driving right now."

Bill smiled and raised his hands as if in defeat. "I'm staying out of this one. Why don't you ask the doctor and let him make the decision?"

"Because I'm fine and I don't need to be waited on hand and foot!" Chloe retorted. "Pregnant women in third world countries work in the fields until they're ready to deliver and nobody worries whether they get enough rest or not."

"We are not in a third world country, Love. We're in the United States. Here we expect pregnant women to take care of themselves so they have the best possible chance of having a healthy baby," Morris replied calmly.

"Am I missing something?" Bill interrupted. "Chloe, are you…" He couldn't finish the sentence. It was almost too bizarre to be real.

"The word is 'pregnant'. And yes, I am."

Bill, speechless, looked between Morris and Chloe not quite sure what to say. It wasn't until he realized that both of them were smiling that he smiled as well. "Congratulations!" he told Morris as he reached out to shake his hand. Then he stepped closer to Chloe's bedside and hugged her. "Congratulations," he repeated, not sure what else to say. He couldn't quite imagine Chloe and Morris as parents but after the day they had had and the carnage that they had seen, a new life was a special gift and he hoped that they took advantage of that gift as a chance to start over. "I'm sure you two will be great parents," he said with a smile as if he really believed it. The truth was that internally he was cringing at the thought. He pushed the thought out of his mind and turned to Morris. "Morris, if we can get my debriefing over with you two can go home and get some rest. And Chloe," he started as he turned toward her. "I'm not qualified to give you orders any more, but I think Morris is right. Wait for him to finish up and then he can take you home. In a few months when that baby is crying at three o'clock in the morning, you'll be begging for some rest and relaxation. Take advantage of it now."

Chloe smiled. "Maybe you're right, sir. Maybe I will take advantage of it."

Morris and Bill left the medical unit and headed for the conference room. As they walked through the bull pen, Marilyn Bauer stepped out of the room where Josh was being debriefed.

"Mr. Buchanan," she called.

Bill stopped and turned to Morris. "Go ahead and get set up. I'll be there in a minute." Morris nodded his agreement and Bill turned to talk to Marilyn. "Mrs. Bauer, what can I do for you?"

"Josh told me how you and Jack risked everything for him. I just don't know how to thank you. Josh is all I have, Mr. Buchanan. I don't know what I would have done if I had lost him. So, thank you. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," Bill said with a smile. "It's really Jack who deserves your thanks. He convinced me that commandeering the helicopter and trying to rescue Josh was the right thing to do."

"Josh told me that Jack jumped from the helicopter and swam to shore. I don't understand why he would have done that. Do you know how to get in touch with him?"

Bill smiled. "Jack will contact us when he's ready. Until then, we just have to trust that he's fine and that he can take care of himself. He may resurface in a few days or a few months or maybe never, but that has to be his choice. If he ever contacts me, I'll let him know that you want to have the chance to thank him."

Marilyn nodded. "Jack always did march to the beat of a different drummer. I guess I understand. There are going to be a lot of estate issues with the company now that Phillip and Graem are both dead. I was hoping that Jack would stay around to help."

"That's not Jack's style. As long as his daughter gets her fair share, I doubt that Jack wants any for himself."

Marilyn nodded again. "Jack deserves to get half of his father's estate. If he isn't there to collect it, I'll make sure that it goes to Kim."

"That would make Jack happy," Bill told her. "I'm sorry, but I have to go and finish debriefing," Bill said as a way of ending the conversation.

"I understand," Marilyn said. "I still owe you a huge debt of gratitude. If there is ever anything that I can do for you, please don't hesitate to call me. Ms. Yassir said earlier that you won't be working here any longer. If you're looking for a job, call me. I know we'll be able to use you when we restructure BXJ. It's not going to be easy to bring the company back after Phillip's and Graem's roles in the terrorist attack become public, but that company is Josh's and Kim's legacy. I intend to do everything in my power to bring the company back from the dead. I could use an honest, hard working person like you."

"Thank you for your confidence, Mrs. Bauer, but I'm not sure where I'm headed after this. I'll think it over and if I'm interested, I'll call you," Bill said. He hadn't given his future any thought; he was simply too tired at the moment to do so. That would be for another day. Both his professional future and his personal future were up in the air for now and it would be at least a day or so before he started sorting them out.

Bill and Morris completed the debriefing as quickly as possible. After that, Bill met with an attorney from the legal department to review and sign his pardon. Nadia wasn't exaggerating when she said that there was about a ream of paper. Bill eventually stopped counting the number of times he signed his name or initialed a paragraph. Nearly an hour after beginning the process, he signed the final piece of paper, his resignation, and left CTU for one last time.

Bill sighed quietly as he entered his house. As promised, the FBI had returned everything that they were in the process of confiscating when he left to help Jack. They hadn't put anything away, but all of the boxes that they had packed were now neatly stacked in his den. Exhausted, Bill sat down in his big leather desk chair to try and make some sense of the day past. He noticed the message light on the phone blinking out a pattern that told him he had two messages. He reached a tired hand across the desk and pressed the "play" button.

"Bill, it's me," Karen's voice emanated from the machine. "I'm not sure when to expect you to get home, but please call me when you do. I miss you, Bill, and I love you. I can't apologize enough for how I treated you earlier. Please, sweetheart, call me. We need to talk."

Bill deleted the first message and played the second.

"Hi, Sweetheart." It was Karen's voice again. "It's almost 11 o'clock in LA and I thought you'd be home by now. I tried your cell and that was turned off. I'm beginning to worry, Bill. Please call me."

Bill deleted the second message and reached for the phone's handset. He knew that he needed to talk to Karen, but he had no idea what he was going to say. He didn't even know what he wanted to say. Part of him wanted to scream at her and part of him wanted to tell her that he loved her. He knew that what he really needed was about ten hours of uninterrupted sleep so he could at least think clearly.

He pressed the speed dial for Karen's cell phone and she picked up on the first ring.

"Hello," Karen said quietly. "I'm so glad you called, Bill. I was starting to worry about you."

"I'm fine," he said in an equally soft voice. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm okay. I'm tired but it's all over now. I'm so proud of what you and Jack did. I was scared to death when they told me that the two of you commandeered a helicopter, but once I knew you were safe, all I could think was how proud I was of you."

"Thank you. But you played an important role in the rescue. You should be proud of yourself, too,"

"How could I possibly be proud of myself after what I did to you? I can't believe that I let people pressure me into hurting you the way I did. Bill, I'm so sorry. Please tell me that you forgive me."

Bill hesitated a long second before responding. "Karen, I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I'm not hurt or that I'm not angry. I will tell you that I understand why you did it. I understand that you were tired and you were being pressured and I'll even let myself believe that you felt that you had the best interest of the country in mind when you fired me. But while I understand it, it still hurts and it's going to take me a while to get over that hurt. I'm sure that I will; it's just going to take time."

Karen choked back a quiet sob. Bill heard it but chose to ignore it. "Promise me that you're not giving up on us."

"I never said I was giving up on us, Karen," Bill told her. He knew that his voice was unnecessarily cool.

"I was hoping to get a flight to LA as soon as the FAA reopens the airports. I won't do that it you don't want me to."

"Of course I want you to come to LA," Bill said softening a bit. "Listen, I'm tired and I need to sleep and to think through everything that happened today."

"Will you call me later?"

"We both need a whole lot of sleep, Karen. Let's just plan on sleeping today and I'll call you tomorrow," Bill suggested. He couldn't keep the coolness out of his voice and he wasn't sure why. It was as if he _wanted_ to hurt her; as if he wanted to make her pay for hurting him. It was childish and he knew it, but exhaustion was keeping him from thinking clearly.

"Okay," Karen whispered. "I'll talk to you then. I love you, Bill, and I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for what I did to you."

"I know," Bill returned solemnly. "Get some sleep. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Bill hung up the phone angry with himself for treating his wife the way he did. It crossed his mind that he should pick the phone back up, call her back and apologize, but he decided against it. Instead, he went upstairs to the bathroom, stripped and stepped into the shower hoping to wash away the last 30 hours of pain and anguish. What he had no way of knowing was that 3000 miles away, Karen had hung up the phone and collapsed, sobbing on her bed. The thought that she might have destroyed her marriage in one phone call was overwhelming her. Her love for her husband was all consuming and knowing that she had hurt him so deeply and now might even lose him was terrifying to her. While Bill showered, Karen cried herself into an exhausted, dreamless sleep.

Bill stepped out of the shower feeling cleaner if not any happier. He dressed in a pair of boxer shorts and walked into the bedroom planning to sleep for the next week. Pulling back the covers, he slipped between the sheets. Tired as he was, sleep was eluding him. His brain was working overtime and swirling with the sounds and images on the previous day. No matter what he tried to think about or concentrate on, the horror of it came back and worst of all, the loudest of the sounds was his last conversation with Karen. Lying in bed, the bed he shared with her, all he could hear was the hurt in her voice. Unable to stand it any longer, he got out of bed, put on a pair of flannel lounge pants and a tee shirt and went downstairs to his den. There, in a room he considered his, not hers, Bill sat down in a reclining chair and promptly fell asleep.

Bill slept soundly for several hours before he was startled awake by the doorbell. He shook his head as if to clear it and looked at the grandfather's clock that stood in the corner. It was just after 7 o'clock and he had to presume that it was evening rather than morning since it was dark outside. The doorbell sounded again. Bill brought the recliner to an upright position and stood up. He couldn't imagine who would be at the door. As he passed though the dining room, he glanced out of the window. There was no car in the driveway or on the street to give away the identity of the caller. Bill wasn't suspicious by nature, but years of working for the CIA had taught him to be cautious. He kept a revolver in the den and thought about going back to get it, when the doorbell rang again. This time it was accompanied by a voice.

"Bill, it's Jack. Could you open the door?"

Surprised, Bill opened the door. "Jack, what are you doing here? Come in," he said as Jack stepped across the threshold.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Bill," Jack said in a quiet apologetic tone. "I don't mean to intrude. I… I just needed someplace to stay for a day or two until I can get myself together. I don't want to be a bother, it's just…"

Bill interrupted. "Jack, you're not a bother. I'm happy to have the company."

"You have my word. I'll only be here for a day or two." Jack was over apologizing which Bill knew was a trait of his. It was almost as if he was on edge and uncomfortable in his own skin and he needed to be reassured that his presence was not unwelcome.

"Don't apologize. I'm happy to have you. Come in. I'm sure you need a hot shower and some sleep. Would you like something to eat?"

"Not right now, thanks. Right now I really just want a shower and some sleep."

Bill walked Jack up the stairs and showed him to the guest bedroom and bath. "There are towels in the bathroom and I'll leave some lounge pants and a shirt on the bed. Those should fit alright to sleep in. We're not exactly the same size, so I don't think you'll fit into any of my clothes. When you're finished showering, bring your clothes downstairs and I can throw them in the washer."

"You don't have to go to any trouble," Jack said. His voice was quiet and contrite as if he had done something wrong.

"It's no trouble, Jack," Bill assured him. "I'm glad I can help."

"You've already helped me more than you should have today. I'm surprised that you weren't arrested."

Bill shook his head. "We were pardoned. All three of us: Karen, you and me. So you don't have to disappear again, Jack. You can live your life under your own name. You can start over; do whatever you like."

Jack looked surprised. "We were pardoned?"

"Yes," Bill returned with a smile.

"I never expected that from Vice President Daniels, but I'll take it," Jack said without emotion.

Bill had expected more of a reaction from Jack. The man was simply enigmatic. There was no other word to describe him. No matter how hard Bill tried to read him, he couldn't, so he didn't bother to try.

"Go ahead and shower and then come downstairs. I'll get us some dinner," Bill offered.

"Thanks, I'd appreciate that," Jack told him. He seemed to have relaxed a bit and no longer seemed so uncomfortable.

"I won't guarantee a gourmet meal, but it should be edible."

"I'm starved. Anything would be great," Jack told him. "I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Take your time," Bill called over his shoulder as he started down the stairs.

A half hour later Jack descended the stairs wearing Bill's too-long lounge pants which Jack had cuffed at the bottom to keep from tripping over them. "Something smells good," he said entering the kitchen. "Wow!" he said as he looked at the stove where Bill had skillets covering all four burners. "You've been busy."

Scrambled eggs cooked in one skillet, while Bill flipped pancakes in another. Fat link sausages sputtered and spat in yet a third pan and the final pan was filled with thinly sliced potatoes, onions and peppers. The aroma made Jack's mouth water to the point that he had to swallow repeatedly to keep from drooling.

"I'm not much of a cook, but I'm pretty good with breakfast foods. So I thought that was our best bet. I haven't eaten anything substantial in over 24 hours and I'm sure it's been at least that long for you."

Jack smiled ruefully. "I haven't eaten anything substantial in the last 20 months."

"I'm sorry, Jack. I didn't mean that to come out the way it did."

"Don't apologize. It's not your fault."

"I feel guilty. I feel responsible for what happened to you. Karen and I worked with Audrey to try and bring you home, but once we were told that she was killed, we gave up. You deserved better, Jack. I'm sorry," Bill said, his eyes downcast.

"Now I'm going to tell you what you told me a little while ago: Don't apologize. I know you did what you could. You weren't getting any help from the administration."

"How did you know that?" Bill asked.

"Jim Heller. He didn't admit it in so many words, but I could read between the lines."

"You spoke to Secretary Heller?"

Jack nodded. "I went to his house. I wanted to see Audrey."

"I thought he had a restraining order against you."

"He may have had a restraining order, but I had a gun," Jack said finally allowing himself to smile faintly.

"How's Audrey?" Bill asked.

"She was sedated while I was there. I didn't get to talk to her."

"Did you and Secretary Heller come to an understanding?"

"Yeah, I guess so. He wants me to stay away from Audrey and I agreed to that."

"What?" Bill asked as he stirred the potatoes so that they would brown evenly. "Why would you have agreed to that?"

"It's in her best interest, Bill. That's all I care about."

"What makes you think that staying away from her is in her best interest? She loves you, Jack. Why do you think she went all the way to China to find you? Jim Heller has no right to tell you to stay away from Audrey. She's an adult; that decision is for her to make."

"Well, right now she's not capable of making that decision and I've decided that keeping my distance is in her best interest. She'll just get hurt again if I try and take care of her."

"That's not Jack Bauer talking," Bill said pointedly. "That's Jim Heller. Don't let him force his opinion on you."

"No one forced an opinion on me. I made this decision myself," Jack said unable to meet Bill's gaze.

Bill knew that wasn't the case, but he wasn't in the mood to argue. "I made a pot of decaf coffee. I didn't think we needed caffeine to make us edgier. Help yourself. The eggs and sausage should be done in a minute and we can eat," he said changing the subject.

A few minutes later, the two sat down to huge plates of food. The conversation waned as they ate. After dinner, both poured a fresh cup of coffee and headed for the den. Both were exhausted but neither was ready to give in and go to bed.

They were walking into the den when Jack picked up a framed picture of Bill and Karen from Bill's desk. "I guess I never got a chance to congratulate you. How long have you and Karen been married?"

"Our first anniversary was last month," Bill said wistfully.

"I guess with the terrorist attacks you didn't get much of a chance to celebrate."

Bill shook his head slowly. "We haven't seen each other in three months. I was with Karen in Washington for the inauguration. I helped her settle into an apartment there and then I came back to LA. She was supposed to come back out to LA for the weekend two weeks later, but the attacks started and she never got here. Since then neither of us has had time to breathe let alone take a trip to the opposite coast."

Jack pointed at a second picture. It was the same one that Karen kept on her desk in DC. "Was that taken on your honeymoon?"

Bill smiled and nodded. "We were on our way to dinner and a photographer took the picture."

"It looks like Hawaii," Jack noted.

"No," Bill told him. "That was taken in Tahiti."

"Tahiti! Now that's an exotic honeymoon."

"It took us our entire lifetimes to find someone that we loved enough to marry. We decided that the honeymoon had to be spectacular. We flew to Australia and spent a week there. Then we went to New Zealand and toured several islands in the South Pacific."

"It sounds wonderful." Jack stared at the picture. "I've never seen you look so happy. You make a wonderful couple." Jack continued without looking up to see that Bill had averted his gaze. "Don't ever take it for granted. Love like that is a gift and it doesn't come around very often."

Bill wasn't quite sure what to say, so he said nothing. Jack continued, "I was lucky enough to find that kind of love twice in my life: first with Teri and then with Audrey. With Teri, I was too young to realize how precious her love was. I took it for granted until we separated. Then I had to figure out how to get it back. By the time I convinced her to reconcile and I had the chance to enjoy that love again, Nina took her away from me. I never thought I'd have the chance to find that kind of love again and then I met Audrey. She made me remember how special that gift is. Don't ever take Karen's love for granted, Bill. You never know how long you'll have it. And if you lose it, you never know if you'll be lucky enough to find it again."

Bill nodded so caught up in the emotion that he was temporarily unable to speak. Jack looked sad as he set the picture back down again. "I'm really tired," he said. "If you don't mind, I'm going to go upstairs and get some sleep. Thanks again for letting me stay here. I'll make sure that I'm gone before Karen gets back from DC. After three months apart, I know how much you two need to have time to yourself."

Bill thanked him and said good night. He watched Jack climb the stairs and then turned back to the picture on the desk. Karen had liked the one of them in Tahiti but he was partial to the one on his desk. It was taken at an engagement party that friends had thrown for them. Just looking at it made Bill smile at the memory. At the same time, Jack's words of advice flitted around in his mind. Bill set the picture down and headed up the stairs trying to forget the conversation. As he got ready for bed, he continued to push the conversation from his mind but soon found that it wasn't working. He sighed and sat down on the bed, _on their bed._

With that Bill picked up the phone and dialed Karen's number. It was almost 10 o'clock on the west coast, so it was almost 1 o'clock in the morning in DC and Karen was almost certainly asleep. The phone rang four or five times before she answered it with a sleepy "Hello".

"Hey, I'm sorry to wake you. I just needed to hear your voice."

"Bill?" she said. He could hear the surprise in her voice.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Is everything alright?" Karen asked now sounding as if she had shaken the cobwebs out of her brain and was thinking clearly.

"I had an idea and I wanted to talk to you about it."

"Sure, what is it?"

"I was thinking that I really need to get out of LA for a while. Rather than you coming to LA, why don't I get the first flight out of here and come to DC. Then we can go to Vermont together and spend some time. It would be like a second honeymoon, a chance to start over."

"Oh, Bill," Karen gushed. "I love that idea. In fact, if it would be easier, since the airports probably won't open for at least another two days, I could drive to Vermont and you could fly directly there instead of stopping in DC."

"That's a long drive, sweetheart. Are you sure you want to tackle it alone?

"I can do it over two days if I have to, but that way, I can get the place opened up and aired out. I can go grocery shopping. Then when you get there, all of that is done and we can just enjoy ourselves."

"That sounds great to me. Honey, I'm sorry about our last conversation. I don't know why I was so cold. I'd like to blame it on being tired, but I'm not sure that was entirely the reason."

"The reason doesn't matter, Bill. What matters is that we love each other. I told you that earlier. We can get through this together. We have a lot of decisions to make and we have a lot to talk about, but if we just remember what brought us together in the first place. We'll be fine."

"I love you, Karen," Bill whispered. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too," Karen returned. "I can't wait to see you. I'll pack up in the morning and head up to Vermont. If we're lucky, we'll catch the end of the ski season. They got a lot of snow this year. I bet some of the cross country trails are still well covered."

Three thousand miles away Bill smiled. He was pretty sure that it was his first real smile in three months. The thought of cross country skiing with his wife through the quiet Vermont countryside far, far away from threat assessments and satellite images and government bureaucrats barking orders at him made him happier than he could imagine.

"I'll see what I can do about getting the first flight out of here. Whenever it is, it won't be soon enough for me. Get some sleep. I want you to be wide awake when you're driving tomorrow. Keep in touch. I'm going to worry about you the whole time."

"I'll be fine," Karen assured him. "Now that I know you still love me, I know that everything is going to be fine. Good night, my love."

"Good night."

_Thanks for reading to this point. Chapter 2 will take place months later and will be told from Karen's perspective. I'll post it as soon as I can. In the meantime, please review and let me know what you think. I'll be interested in your thoughts._


	2. Chapter 2: Karen

Chapter 2: Karen

15 months later, Burlington, Vermont

Karen reached into her garden with a pair of sharp shears and cut one of the long stemmed flowers in front of her. She methodically dropped it into a basket and continued down the row selecting only the most perfect blooms until she had enough flowers to make colorful arrangements in the entrance hall, the living room and the kitchen table. This was a regular ritual now. The saying "stop and smell the roses" was so cliché, but it fit Karen perfectly. The hustle and bustle of city life and high powered job was over and Karen had never been happier.

Summer was short in Vermont, but she made the most of it turning all of that old energy she had wasted fighting with politicians and political appointees into gardening and tennis and golf. She also was the president of the local chapter of the Vermont Historical Preservation Society. And spent hours working to restore and preserve some of the Burlington area's old homes and buildings. Winter was a little different. One day a week she was a guest lecturer at the University of Vermont and she was also working on a Ph.D. in political science. Her free time, which she guarded carefully, was often spent cross country skiing. It had become a passion for both her and Bill.

Karen smiled as she climbed the steps to the porch and opened the door into the wide foyer. She loved the old house. The original part of it was built nearly a hundred years earlier by Bill's great grandfather, Harry Buchanan. It had been a vacation house for the well-to-do banker who worked in New York City and sent his family to Vermont to escape the heat of the summer. Bill's grandfather, William Buchanan inherited the house in the 1920's. William added to the vacation house and built a couple of large cottages on the property so that his sisters and their families could come and visit.

Will Buchanan was the consummate partier and loved to have a houseful of people. The 1920's were good to him. He ignored prohibition and built a wine cellar that he stocked during wine buying trips to France, Italy and Spain. Unfortunately, Will was a banker like his father and when the Great Depression hit in 1929, he saw his fortune dwindle to near nothing. When he realized that he could no longer maintain a penthouse apartment in Manhattan and the private schools that his children attended, as well as the property in Vermont, Will decided to move his family permanently to Vermont. His socialite wife, Leila, never forgave him for that move, but dutifully packed up her family and headed for Vermont. It was in Vermont that Bill's father, Daniel Buchanan, grew up. Will Buchanan eventually found his fortune again when the United States entered World War II and Will had the foresight to start a textile company that made uniforms for the military. After the war, he took the modest amount of money he had made in the textile industry and went back to the business he knew best: banking. It was in banking that he regained his fortune. Soon his son, Daniel had graduated from college and entered the profession with his father.

Daniel Buchanan may have had his father's head for banking, but he had his mother's personality and he preferred the New York social scene. When William had a chance to expand their bank to other states, Daniel quickly took the opportunity and opened several branches in New York City. And working the social circuit there, Daniel met Paula Stevens, the oldest daughter of another of New York's banking families. It was a match made in heaven, not to mention on the ledger sheet. Daniel and Paula were married and soon after, Paula gave birth to a son, William Stevens Buchanan, whom they nicknamed Bill. Daniel and Paula loved their son, but quickly found that he put a crimp in their social life. At the same time, William and Leila loved to have their grandson with them in Vermont. Bill spent all of his summers and holidays at their Vermont home and, when it came time for high school, he decided on a private boys' school not far from his grandparents' home. Knowing how much their grandson loved the house, William and Leila left the property and a trust fund earmarked for renovations to Bill upon their deaths.

Bill was thrilled to have the place. It held wonderful memories and reminded him of the grand Christmases and Thanksgivings and summers he had spent there. The house was, however, showing its age. Bill spent the next several years having it renovated. When he and Karen got married, she started putting her own decorating touches on it. They had planned to retire there at some time in the future. But that had all changed when they were given no choice but to resign from their government posts and early retirement was forced on them. At that point they decided to sell the house in LA and the Vermont country home became their permanent residence.

Karen couldn't help but smile when she remembered arriving in Vermont two days after the terrorist attacks had finally ceased. The drive had been interminable, but she didn't care. Bill still loved her and he would get there as soon as he could. That point, however, was easier said than done. The airports didn't reopen for three days and when they did, the carriers were swamped with passengers whose flights had been cancelled. Based on the limited number of flights available to the east coast and the waiting list for passengers, Bill was afraid that it might be as much as two weeks before he could get a flight to Vermont. He was at the point of considering driving cross country when he remembered that Marilyn Bauer had mentioned that if she could ever do anything for him that she would be happy to. Well, Marilyn had access to two corporate jets that belonged to BXJ and Bill hoped that she would be willing to arrange to have one of the company pilots fly him to Vermont. As she had said, Marilyn was happy to help. She arranged for the flight and a limousine to take him from the airport in Burlington to his home.

His homecoming was a precious memory for Karen. It was nearly 11 o'clock at night when Bill finally arrived. If she closed her eyes, she could still see the limousine's headlights coming down the long driveway. They were particularly bright as they reflected off of the snow that still covered the ground in early April. Karen ran to the front door and opened it. As cold as it was outside, she stepped out onto the porch wearing only a loose fitting silk camisole and lounge pants. Bill ran up the stairs and, without saying a word, pulled her into his arms. Neither of them paid any attention to the limo driver who brought Bill's bags up onto the porch.

"You're going to freeze out here dressed like that," Bill whispered as their first long, passionate kiss broke.

"Not as long as I'm in your arms," Karen said sweetly.

Bill smiled a warm and loving smile. "I never intend to let go," he told her.

After another series of kisses, Karen conceded that she was, in fact, cold and that she had a bottle of champagne on ice in their bedroom. Bill didn't need to hear any more. He picked up his suitcases and carried them inside and within seconds, the two were heading up the stairs to bed.

Karen looked back on that night knowing that never before and never since had they made love with such passion or intensity. Not only did they need to make up for three months of lost time, but they also needed to vent three months of pent up emotion. It all came out, the pain and the fear, the loneliness and the heartache. At times they smiled and caressed tenderly. At times they cried and simply held each other. The lovemaking went from achingly slow and sweet to aggressive and forceful. It wasn't until hours after first collapsing on the bed that they stopped long enough to catch their breath and open the champagne. Then they lay in each others arms sipping champagne.

"So, what happens next?" Karen asked.

"Well, let's see," Bill started. "It's three o'clock in the morning. I was hoping to make love to you one more time and then go to sleep," he laughed. "I plan to sleep until noon and then take a shower, hopefully with you. And at that point I should be ready to eat lunch and make love again."

Karen smiled at him. "You know what I mean. What do we do with our lives now that we're unemployed?"

"I still like my first idea," Bill said, unwilling to allow the conversation to take a serious tone. "I don't want to make any plans past the weekend and until then, I intend to keep you in this bed and ravage you every chance I get!" he growled in a soft sexy voice. With that, he took the champagne from her and wrestled her playfully to the bed. They both laughed and kissed.

"I'm serious!" Karen giggled.

"So am I," Bill returned.

Karen rolled her eyes and gave up. There was no point in trying to talk to him at the moment, so she just relaxed and enjoyed the incredible love they were sharing. But by morning, Karen was bound and determined that she was going to pursue the conversation further. She had never in her adult life been unemployed and the whole idea seemed to scare her.

"You never told me what you planned to do with your future," Karen started as she set her coffee cup down on the nightstand. Bill had gotten out of bed long enough to brew coffee and toast a couple of bagels and bring the food along with the newspaper back upstairs to bed.

"I gave you a pretty good outline," he answered glancing mischievously over his reading glasses.

"I mean, your future _past this weekend_," Karen replied. She allowed herself to sound irritated, but in fact she couldn't help but smile at him.

Bill took off his glasses and set down the paper. "Why are you so concerned about our future plans, honey? Let's just enjoy the moment for a change."

"I am enjoying the moment. It's just that reading the newspaper in bed and making love doesn't pay the bills very well."

"Sweetheart, you know that we can afford to pay the bills. If neither of us ever works another day in our lives, my trust funds and family investments will be more than we can possibly need to live on. That's not the issue, is it? What's bothering you?"

"I don't know. I just haven't been without a job since I was sixteen and it feels strange. Doesn't it feel strange to you? Have you even considered what you want to do with the rest of you life?"

Bill sighed. "Promise you won't laugh?"

"Promise."

"When I went to college and majored in English, I wanted to write the great American novel. Unfortunately I got caught up in real life and it never got written. Since then I've have several ideas, not for novels, but for non-fiction books and I've never had the chance to pursue them. Now is my chance."

Karen smiled. "You've never shared that with me. Why did you keep it a secret?"

"It just seemed like such a pipedream. Now that I have all the time in the world, I'd like to try it. Now it's your turn. What have you always wanted to do that you thought was impossible?"

"I've always wanted to get a PhD in political science and teach at a university."

"So, now's your chance. There's nothing stopping you from going to the University of Vermont and getting your degree."

"I guess not," Karen said skeptically. She suddenly realized that she was smiling. "You're right; there's nothing stopping me anymore. No cabinet meetings or congressional hearings or terrorist attacks. I can really do this, can't I?"

That was all of the encouragement that Karen needed. Within days she spoke to the Dean of the Political Science department and he was more than happy to have her as both a student and a guest lecturer starting in the Fall semester. In the meantime, she and Bill agreed that neither had any desire to go back to either DC or LA. They returned to LA and Washington only long enough to pack up their belongings and have them shipped to Vermont. Both Karen's DC apartment and their house in LA were sold making the move to Vermont complete.

Karen finished arranging flowers and headed back outside to do some overdue weeding. She had been spending a lot of time supervising renovations to one of the buildings that the historical preservation society was working on and the neglect of her flower garden showed. Dressed in old jeans, she knelt in the grass at the edge of the garden and sunk her spade into the soil. She was thoroughly lost in the task and only looked up when she heard a low pitched "woof" from her cocker spaniel, who had assumed his usual post – sleeping on the front porch. The dog stood up and trotted lazily down the steps and along the front walk to the driveway.

"Go get him, Duffer," she called after him. "Go get Bill." She turned to watch as the dog continued to a tree about thirty yards from the house and sat to wait for Bill, who was on his way home from his morning run.

They found the dog, just a puppy at the time, the previous October when they were playing golf. It was one of the last days before snowflakes would start flying but the avid golfers refused to yield to the weather. Bill, who was nearly a good enough golfer to turn professional, was having the worst round of golf that Karen could remember while she was playing one of the best games of her life. She usually never got even close to his score, but that day was within two strokes. The cool temperatures and his lousy score had put him in a terrible mood. And his mood didn't improve any when, on the 12th hole, he hit the ball into the rough. As he set to try and get it out, the cocker spaniel puppy came up from behind him and barked causing him to completely miss the ball. Karen laughed hysterically. "That'll cost you a stroke. I'm only down by one," she informed him as she pulled out their scorecard. Bill glared at her; his competitive side simply couldn't see the humor in it.

The 13th hole wasn't much better and as they picked up their clubs to head for the 14th hole, they found that the little dog had followed them.

"Go home!" Bill ordered him as he pointed back toward the previous hole.

The dog turned as if he understood and walked toward the 12th hole where they had first seen him. Bill and Karen continued to the 14th hole where Bill happily made par gaining two strokes on Karen. By the 15th hole, the dog was back. "Oh, you again?" Bill said when he saw the dog. "I guess you can follow us, but stay out of the way."

The dog complied and sat back while Bill teed off and the ball sailed down the fairway. He continued to sit and watch as Karen teed off and then followed the two as they headed to the spots where the golf balls had landed. He watched intently through big brown eyes as if he was trying to figure out exactly what they were doing. He followed them to the 16th hole and watched the process repeat itself. By the 17th hole, he was more comfortable with the process and as soon as Bill teed off, the dog took off, racing down the fairway after the ball. By the time Karen teed off and they walked toward the green, they found the dog sitting next to Bill's golf ball and wagging his tail merrily as if he had done something particularly special.

Bill petted the dog on the head. "Good boy," he told him. The dog watched as Bill easily chipped the ball onto the green. "I think you might be good luck, little guy. My game has certainly improved since you showed up."

The putt Bill needed to make was long, but Karen had seen him make longer putts without a problem. She watched him line up carefully and readjust his grip twice before tapping the ball in the direction of the hole. "Yes!" he said triumphantly as the ball rolled at a perfect speed along the neatly groomed grass. He turned toward Karen and slipped the golf club back into his bag. "That'll put me up by two strokes."

"Not so fast, hot shot," Karen warned him. "Look again. You're up by one, dear."

Bill turned only to see the ball hanging precariously at the edge of the hole. "Damn it!" he exclaimed as he reached back in the bag for his putter. He grabbed the club and walked toward the hole and as he did, he saw the dog trot happily across the green and nudged the golf ball into the hole. After which, the animal sat next to hole looking proudly up at Bill. "Thanks, buddy. You saved me the trouble."

"No," Karen retorted as she laughed. "He cost you a stroke. Now we're tied."

"You are not going to charge me with a stroke because some stray dog thinks he's playing, too, are you? That's ridiculous!"

"Those are the rules. I didn't make them. I just follow them. We're tied, honey."

"Karen, be serious…"

"I am. Now get your ball. It's my turn."

Bill snatched the ball out of the hole and held it in front of the dog. "No!" he scolded. "Not yours. You don't get to play. Leave the balls alone!"

The dog woofed quietly as if to acknowledge his error and agree never to do it again.

The 18th and final hole was all that stood between Bill and Karen and a warm clubhouse that served the best steak sandwiches in the state. Bill fully intended to get this miserable game over with as soon as possible, while Karen was relishing a potential victory for the first time since she and Bill had started golfing together when they were dating.

Bill teed off and again the dog raced down the fairway after the ball. It was a great shot that landed on the green within easy putting distance of the hole. "Beat that one, baby," he challenged Karen. She smiled and started to set up. Just about then, the dog came running full speed back to them and dropped Bill's golf ball from his mouth onto grass in front of Bill's feet.

Bill looked down at the ball and then at the dog. "Bad dog! I told you 'no'," he reminded him. With that Bill picked up the ball and carried it back to the green where it had landed. He waited until Karen teed off before he reached for his club and made the short putt into the hole. By the time Karen reached the hole, Bill was waiting beside the green with the dog at this side. He was holding the scorecard.

"Let's see," he said as if ruminating on the math. "An Eagle on the 18th for me. A Birdie on the 18th for you. That put me up by one stroke. Just enough to win," he said with satisfaction.

"No way," Karen informed him. "You moved the ball before you putted. That'll cost you a stroke. We tied."

"I didn't move the ball. The dog moved the ball. That doesn't count."

"It does in my book, honey. And since I'm the official scorer today," Karen said as she took the scorecard from him. "I'm charging you with three strokes on the 18th hole instead of two. We're tied. Did you want to have a one hole play off?" she asked smugly.

"No, I just want to eat lunch," Bill told her as he walked toward the clubhouse.

"Why? Are you afraid of losing?" she chided him.

"No, I'm just hungry," he told her.

"Alright. I guess I can live with a tie. It's the best I've ever done against you and I'm hungry, too."

The two went into the clubhouse and ordered lunch. They lingered over their sandwiches and beer and both forgot about the little dog who had followed them. It wasn't until they exited the building and saw the dog lying in a patch of sunlight waiting for them that either of them gave him a moment's thought.

Karen petted him and checked him for a collar. "He doesn't have a collar. I wonder if anyone knows who he belongs to."

The clubhouse manager was on his way to his car and overheard their conversation. "Was that dog bothering you, Mrs. Buchanan? He's been hanging around for the last couple of weeks begging scraps near the kitchen door. And he's been bothering some of the golfers. I guess I'm going to have to take him to the animal shelter. It's a shame. I hate to do that to him. He seems like a nice little guy, but I can't have him hanging around here."

Karen eyed up the dog. "He's so cute, Bill. Don't you think he'd make a nice pet?"

She was never quite sure how she got Bill to agree, but he finally said "yes" and, after checking with local veterinarians and the animal shelter to make sure that he hadn't been reported as missing, the dog became theirs. Or rather, he became Karen's. Bill claimed not to like him, but Karen knew differently. She decided to name him Duffer, the slang term for an inept golfer, since he had spent much of his early life on the golf course.

"You are the laziest animal on the face of the earth! Do you know that?" Bill asked as he slowed to a walk and arrived at the tree where Duffer was sitting. He leaned over to scratch the dog's ears. "And you're getting fat, too. I think it's time for you to start running with me. Tomorrow morning we go for a run, Duff, and I don't want any complaints."

Karen laughed. Bill said that about once a week and by the next morning when he left for his run, Bill would be alone and Duffer would be sleeping on the porch. The two of them carried on a love-hate relationship but recently Karen noticed that the dog was getting the upper hand.

Bill continued walking along the driveway toward the house with Duffer at his side.

"Did you have a good run?" Karen called as he approached. "Are you ready for breakfast?" Before his run Bill always drank a glass of juice and on his return the two sat down for breakfast together.

Bill hadn't had a chance to answer yet when Duffer barked again. He was generally a quiet dog and rarely barked. Both of them looked at him as he sat up and sniffed the air and then barked several times.

"He must hear something," Karen remarked.

Just as she finished speaking, they could hear the sound of a car approaching on their long driveway.

"Were you expecting anyone?" Bill asked.

Karen shook her head as a sleek, black BMW sports convertible came into view. Duffer barked again and Bill reached for his collar to keep him close. By now Bill and Karen recognized the driver behind a pair of dark sunglasses and broke into big smiles.

"Jack! What a surprise. What are you doing here? It's great to see you!" Bill exclaimed.

"It's good to see you, too," Jack returned as he got out of the car and the two shook hands. "I hope you don't mind the intrusion."

"Not at all, Jack," Karen told him as she hugged him. "Come on inside. We were just going to go inside for some breakfast. Why don't you join us?"

"Thank you," Jack said. "That would be great."

They entered the house and crossed into the kitchen with its sunny breakfast room. Karen already had service for two set out but quickly added a third place setting and poured coffee for the three of them.

"So, Jack, where have you been hiding?" Bill asked in a semi-serious voice.

Jack smiled softly. "I'm not exactly hiding. I've been out of the country, in Israel and the Middle East mostly. I've been doing intelligence gathering for the Mossad."

"Sounds dangerous," Karen commented as she tended to a skillet of scrambled eggs.

"No more dangerous than anything else I've ever done. Let's face it, all I know is intelligence work and law enforcement. I didn't want to get back into that life when I came back from China, but when I thought it over, I realized that this was the only life I knew. So I called some friends in Israel and they were interested in hiring me. Jim Heller was right. I couldn't stay away from this life," he said with downcast eyes.

Bill looked away for a second. "I don't know if you heard, but Jim Heller died a few months ago."

Jack nodded. "I was in Syria when it happened, but I heard when I got back to Israel. Cancer?"

"Yes," Bill said. "Pancreatic. He went quickly. He died three weeks after the diagnosis."

"Have you talked to Audrey?"

"She are Karen talk every month or so and we saw her at the funeral. Her father wanted to be buried next to his wife in Albany, so that's where all of the services were held."

"How is Audrey doing?"

"She held up well at the funeral. It happened so fast and was such a shock I don't think she had really processed any of it yet," Karen answered. "I talked to her about three weeks ago. She's very sad, but she's adjusting. With her father gone, she feels like she's alone in the world. She really doesn't have any other family."

"I take it that her brother didn't show up?"

"Richard? No, she called him when her father was diagnosed and again when he died, but Richard didn't make any attempt to come and see him. He and Secretary Heller hadn't had any contact since that night at CTU several years ago when Richard was essentially forced admit that he was gay. According to Audrey, her father tried to maintain a relationship with Richard but it didn't really work," Bill explained.

"Where's Audrey living?" Jack asked.

"She kept her father's beach house in Malibu," Bill told him.

"I have her phone number if you'd like to get in touch with her, Jack," Karen offered.

Jack smiled and looked down. "I doubt that she wants to hear from me. I'm sure she's moved on by now."

"No, Jack," Karen said gently as she set a plate of eggs and sausage down in front of him. "She hasn't moved on. When I talk to her she always asks if we've heard from you. I think she was hoping that you might show up at her father's funeral. I know that she'd like to hear from you. Let me give you her number."

"No," Jack reiterated. "My getting in touch with her will just make it look like I want to pick up where we left off and I don't."

"I don't believe you," Karen challenged him. "I think you do want to rekindle that relationship."

"You can believe whatever you want," Jack said more forcefully than he intended. "But I made a promise to her father that I'd stay out of her life and I don't go back on my promises. Besides," he added. "Like I said, Jim Heller was right. He knew me better than I know myself. I've gone back to the same kind of life that I've always led and I can't protect Audrey. I won't risk someone identifying me and going after her in order to get to me. Audrey has suffered enough because of me and I won't do anything that causes her more suffering."

"By ignoring her you are inadvertently causing her more suffering, Jack. Don't you see that?" Karen asked incredulously. Bill was giving her a look that told her to stay out of it, but she chose to ignore him. "Staying away from her isn't solving anything for either of you. Maybe you could give up your lifestyle if you made amends with Audrey and settled down. Maybe then you could find some peace."

"I agree with Karen, Jack," Bill added somewhat timidly. "Before he died, Secretary Heller told Audrey that he asked you to stay away from her. She knows that you went into the house and planned to take her away from him and that he talked you out of it. She was angry with him for doing it. I know that she'd like to hear from you again, if only to clear the air between you."

Jack looked at his plate and rearranged the eggs. "I don't agree and it's my decision," he said in a tone that made it clear that he was ending the conversation.

Karen wanted to continue the discussion. She glanced at Bill hoping for support but found none and decided that it was better to stop for the moment. The silence was awkward. It was Jack who broke it.

"Do you hear anything from Chloe?" Jack asked changing the subject.

Bill nodded and smiled. "We had an email from her a few days ago. The three of them are doing well."

Jack squinted and cocked his head slightly to one side. "The three of them?"

"Oh, I forgot that you didn't know. Chloe and Morris got married. They have a six month old baby, a little girl named Mary."

"Chloe and Morris?" Jack asked. Disbelief covered his face. "And they have a baby? How did that happen?"

"I think it was the usual way. Don't laugh," Karen said. "They're a great couple and they're wonderful parents. They were here visiting a few weeks ago. They wanted to go away for their first anniversary and we told them that we'd watch Mary for them. So they left Mary with us while they went to Quebec for a few days."

Jack finally smiled but he still looked shocked. "They've been married a whole year and they haven't killed each other yet? I can't believe that it's lasted this long. Their first marriage was a disaster."

"Believe me, Jack, no one expected this marriage to work. At CTU people were placing bets on whether they would still be together when the baby was born. But they've done beautifully. They left LA almost a year ago and bought a computer business in Massachusetts. The business was floundering and they got it for a song. They've turned it around and they're seeing a profit. Overall, things couldn't be going better for them."

"I'm happy for them. Since they're living in New England, I might get the chance to see them before I head back to Israel," Jack said. "What ever happened to Mike Doyle? Did he recover any of his vision?"

"Some. He's completely blind in his right eye. He has some vision in the left, but he's considered legally blind."

"That's too bad," Jack commented. "I guess that ruined his career."

"Yes and no," Bill started. "He left CTU on full disability. Now he works for a security agency in LA that provides security to movie productions all over the world. With some computer modifications, he's fully functional in that capacity. And he's apparently a whiz at reviewing the plans when directors are filming on location and setting up the security for the site and for the stars. From what I've heard from him, it's a good fit and he's enjoying it. His biggest problem right now is his marriage."

"He got married?"

"Yes, to Nadia Yassir."

"I take it that the marriage is shaky."

Bill sighed. "I'm convinced that Nadia married Mike because she felt obligated. She felt as if she put him on the beach that night without a good backup plan and without considering the possibility that your father was planning to attack him."

"She was following the Vice President's orders," Jack noted.

"That may be the case, but she still felt guilty over it. She felt that she should have been more assertive with the Vice President when it came to the safety of her field team. Between that and the guilt she felt over Milo's death, I think she decided that the only way to make it right was to marry Doyle and to take care of him. It's funny, nobody thought that Chloe and Morris could make a go of it and everybody thought that Nadia and Mike was a perfect match. Now Chloe and Morris are doing well and Nadia and Mike have been in counseling since three months into their marriage."

"Do you think they'll work it out?" Jack asked.

"I don't know. I think that their problems go deeper than their marriage. If they can get those issues sorted out, maybe they can make the marriage work," Bill answered.

They finished breakfast and decided to take fresh cups of coffee onto a sunny patio to continue their conversation. "I guess you are probably wondering what made me decide to surface here after fifteen months," Jack started as they sat down.

"This is more than a social call?" Karen asked.

"I'm happy we've had a chance to catch up, but yes, it is. I'm here to offer you a proposition, Bill," Jack told him.

"A proposition? Jack, if this has anything to do with me joining you in the Middle East and working for the Mossad, thanks, but no thanks. That life ended for me fifteen months ago and unlike you, I don't intend to ever go back."

"No, no," Jack said as he shook his head. "It's nothing like that. I know you've moved on. I read your book, Bill. It was wonderful. Congratulations! The first thing you publish and it ends up on the bestsellers list. You must be very proud of it."

Bill blushed. "Thank you," he said quietly.

"Tony and Michelle would have been so impressed."

"If Tony and Michelle were alive to read it, I never would have had to write it," Bill said with a touch of melancholy in his voice.

The book was called _Tragic Love_ and was Tony's and Michelle's biography. Bill had interviewed family and friends and chronicled the couple's lives from childhood, through their romance, divorce and remarriage and finally to their tragic deaths. The book was an instant hit and he had been on every talk show in the country. It had been an amazing way to start his writing career.

"Do you have another book planned?" Jack asked.

"I've been researching something of a companion book. I'd like to write a really definitive biography of David Palmer. There have been a few written, but they've all been superficial," Bill told him.

"Have you ever considered writing fiction?"

"On occasion. I've just never had an idea that I thought would be worth pursuing. Why? Do you have an idea?"

"Yeah, how about a series of books about a CTU agent."

Bill smiled. "You mean like you?"

"And you," Jack agreed. "I have one book well outlined and I'm working on a second. My problem is that I don't have the patience to do the actual writing. You obviously can do that part and you have a wonderful style. I think together we could put out a great product. If you'd like, we can arrange a time and you can review what I've written."

"I'd love to. Karen and I have a tennis date with another couple this afternoon, but if you'd like I can look at it later," Bill suggested.

"Bill, if you'd like to cancel the date, I think Frank and Ellen will understand," Karen said. "And I need to review a proposal from the contractor for the restoration of the house that the Preservation Society is looking at. We can play tennis another time. Why don't you two go over Jack's outline now?"

Jack shook his head. "Karen, I don't want you to cancel plans because of me. I thought that if Bill was interested in looking over my outline that I'd get a room in Burlington and stay for a few days and maybe we could finalize our plans. After that we can do everything via email."

"Jack! You are not staying in a hotel," Karen told him emphatically. "We have two guest houses on the property and both of them are empty and just waiting for guests. Stay here for as long as you like."

Jack began to shake his head, but Bill intervened. "We won't take 'no' for an answer. Get your bags from the car and I'll show you to the guest house."

Over the next week, Jack and Bill, who were both capable of being workaholics, spent countless hours working on Jack's outline. They worked well together; each playing off of the other's ideas. By the time they were finished, they had every chapter outlined in detail and had fleshed out each character. It was Bill's job to put meat on that skeleton and he was itching to get started. As he wrote each chapter, he would forward them to Jack for editing.

Karen loved watching the two of them work. Their minds were so alike, but they arrived at conclusions in such different ways. She tried to stay out of their way, but found herself looking for excuses to step into Bill's den and observe them. By the end of the week as she and Bill were saying goodbye to Jack, Karen wished that he would stay longer. If she could get him to realize that this slower pace of life was what he needed, maybe she could get him to reconsider his decisions regarding Audrey.

"When are you coming back," Karen asked as she and Bill walked Jack to his rental car.

"Probably not anytime soon. I have a mission planned in Syria. I'll probably be there until mid-December."

"Then plan on coming for Christmas," Karen suggested.

"Let's wait and see," Jack said taking care not to commit himself one way or the other.

"We'd love to have you. Morris and Chloe are already planning on spending time with us over Christmas. It would be great to have you, too."

"Thanks, Karen," he said as he hugged her. "I'll think about it." Jack opened the door and slipped behind the wheel of the convertible. He started the engine and was about to put the car in gear.

Karen reached out and rested her hand on Jack's shoulder. "I'll be talking to Audrey within the next few days. When I do, what should I tell her?"

"Do you have to tell her anything?"

"She always asks if we've heard from you and I won't lie to her."

"Tell her the truth, that I stopped in with a business proposal for Bill. She'll have to know at least that much. If the book is published like we hope it is, she's going to hear about it."

"She's going to want to know about you, not about the book. What do you want me to tell her?"

"Tell her that I'm working outside of the country and that I'm fine. I know Audrey well enough to know that she's probably worrying about me. Don't tell her that I'm working for the Mossad. She may still have friends at the DoD with contacts in Israel. I don't want her trying to find me. Tell her that I was sorry to hear about her father and that I hope she's doing well."

Karen nodded. "Audrey told me once that one of the few things she remembers while she was at CTU the night she returned from China was being scared and you holding her. You told her that you would always love her. What do I tell her if she asks if you still love her?"

Jack turned his head as if he couldn't look at her. He closed his eyes softly. "Tell her that whether I love her or not isn't important any more. I can't giver her what she needs. She needs to move on and find someone special to share her life with."

"That's not really what you want me to say Jack, is it?" Karen prodded.

Jack opened his eyes but still refused to look at her. "Maybe not, but it's what needs to be said."

Jack pulled the car away without ever looking at Bill or Karen. They stood watching for a long time before Bill took Karen's hand and they turned to walk back to the house.

"I pushed too hard, didn't I?" Karen said softly as she started to cry. "I should have just dropped it. I didn't mean to push Jack away; I just wanted to make him realize that staying away from Audrey is hurting both of them."

Bill pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead. "You did what you thought was best," he told her. "You could have been a little more subtle about it, but I don't think there is any harm done. In fact, I think that maybe what you did is a good thing."

"Really? How so?"

"Jack has a long ride back to New York and a long flight back to Jerusalem. He can't help but think about what you said to him. And maybe, if he thinks about it long enough, he'll realize that you're right, that he and Audrey belong together. It worked for me."

"What do you mean?"

Bill sighed and closed his eyes against the memory. "When the last terrorist attack ended and I finally went home, I wasn't quite sure what was going to happen to the two of us. I knew that I loved you but I didn't know if we could put our marriage back together after the months apart and everything that happened that day." Karen cringed. She noticed that he didn't expressly refer to her firing him but she knew that was what he meant.

"I was trying to sort out my feelings when Jack came by the house and asked if he could stay for a while. He knew that things weren't going well between you and me. He looked at a picture of us and said 'Don't ever take Karen's love for granted. Love like that is a gift and it doesn't come around very often.' I thought about what he said and I knew that he was right. I couldn't just throw away all that we had."

Karen hugged Bill and rested her head against his chest. "I'm glad you came to that conclusion. How long did it take you to get there?"

"Not as long as it'll take Jack to drive to New York and fly back to Israel," Bill said with a smile. "Let's hope he can take advice as well as he can give it."

_I'm working on chapter 3 but I'm finding it harder to write than I expected. Sorry if it takes me a little longer than I'd like. Hope to have it up within the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, consider reviewing. That might encourage me to write faster!_


	3. Chapter 3: Audrey

_Sorry this chapter took so long. I didn't have a lot of time to write and it was slow going when I did have time. I hope it was worth the wait. I also hope that this story does for you what it did for me. It gave me some resolution to season 6 (Hence the clever title of the story!) and some hope for the future - because if there is one thing that the 24 writers are good at, it is sapping the hope out of the hearts of their viewers. This is for all of those viewers who still hold out hope for their favorite characters. Enjoy oh hopeful ones!_

Chapter 3: Audrey

Six months later

Audrey walked through the living room of her father's Malibu beach house and glanced at the neighbor's house. It was 70 degrees and sunny, but it was Christmas Eve and Audrey couldn't have felt any gloomier as she watched the seemingly endless stream of cars pull into the neighbor's driveway. The lights twinkled on their front porch even though it was still broad daylight. The Hamiltons were having their annual Christmas party. Audrey had been invited but had politely declined. She couldn't imagine being at a party and having to act happy. She watched as Laura Hamilton opened the door for her guests. She hugged and kissed everyone. _How dare you be happy!_ Audrey thought. She closed the blind so that she didn't have to witness the scene: happy people celebrating Christmas while she sat alone feeling as if her world had fallen apart.

This was Audrey's first Christmas without her father and she had never felt so alone in her entire life. Last year she was there at the party, _with her father_. At the time, she had just started to put her life back together after her ordeal in China. True she missed Jack, but she was getting used to that. Her father had told her that Jack came by to see her while she was sedated and explained that although he had promised to take care of her, he knew that he couldn't and that he hoped she would forgive him. It wasn't until several months later, as Jim Heller lay dying that he told his daughter the truth. She cried as he explained how Jack had come, gun in hand, ready to take her away with him but that he, Jim, had stopped him. She cried even harder when he told her how Jack sat on the edge of her bed and bid her an emotional farewell telling her that he would always love her. Audrey walked away from her father's bedside that night hating him. _Hating him!_ She didn't know if she could ever forgive him, but by the morning she looked at the frail frame of the once vibrant man and knew that she couldn't stay angry with him. He apologized repeatedly for his actions. _Find Jack,_ he told her. _Find him and go to him. Neither of you will be happy until you're together, _he admitted.

Audrey cared for her father until he died. She fulfilled his wish of being buried next to his wife in Albany. Once his estate was settled, Audrey found herself with hours and hours of free time and nothing to do except grieve. Instead, she decided to devote that energy to finding Jack. She spent the next few weeks calling everyone she could think of who might have a clue as to Jack's whereabouts. She called Bill, Chloe, anyone whose name she remembered from CTU, Marilyn and Kim Bauer, and friends from the DoD. It appeared that Jack told no one where he was going or even hinted at his future plans. Only Bill and Marilyn had spoken to Jack prior to his disappearance. Marilyn spoke with him briefly on two occasions about a month after that regarding Phillip Bauer's estate but he never told her where he was and she didn't ask. Kim had been told by CTU that her father was alive, but she, too, had not spoken to him. Audrey had hit a dead end. Jack could be anywhere and he knew how to cover his tracks. There was little point in continuing the search. He would resurface if and when he wanted to. She asked everyone she spoke with to contact her if they heard from Jack and to tell him that she wanted to hear from him. She waited patiently for a few months but got no response.

It was Karen who called her the previous summer and said that Jack had spent a week with them in Vermont. Karen recounted how she and Bill tried to get Jack to contact her but had failed. Audrey was happy just to get that news. At least Jack was safe, even if Karen wouldn't tell her where he was living, and he would have regular contact with Bill in order to write the series of books they were planning. Audrey hoped that with Bill's constant prodding, Jack would eventually give in and call her. It was a hope that seemed awfully hollow on this lonely Christmas Eve.

Audrey moped from room to room in the big, airy beachfront house hoping for something to cheer her. She hadn't decorated nor had she played the Christmas carols that she normally sang from the day after Thanksgiving until she reluctantly put the CDs away a day or two after New Year's. She plopped heavily onto the sofa and turned on the television. Channel after channel played cheery Christmas movies and specials: Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed on one station, ice skaters at Rockefeller Center on another, Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney on yet another. It was more than Audrey could take and she felt her eyes well with tears as she turned the television off and slapped the remote control down on a coffee table. She was fighting her desire to cry when the doorbell rang. Quickly she swiped a hand across her face to wipe away her tears as she stood and made her way to the door. She wasn't really expecting anyone, but didn't think much about who could be at the door. She suspected that it was one of her neighbors encouraging her to come to the party next door.

Audrey opened the door without looking out first and gasped as she did. "Jack," she whispered almost involuntarily. She stood staring at him unable to take her eyes off of him. He looked wonderful; his hair slightly longer than he usually wore it and his skin a soft golden tan. He was dressed in GQ casual: a pair of faded blue jeans, a cream-colored, V-neck sweater and a butter-soft looking, brown, leather bomber jacket.

"Merry Christmas, Audrey," he said softly. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything. I just wanted to drop these off," he said as he held out two wrapped packages, "and then I'll leave."

"No! No, please, come in. I wasn't doing anything but feeling sorry for myself. I wish you'd come in," Audrey stammered. She stepped back and held the door open to allow Jack entry.

"Are you sure? It looks like there's a party next door. I thought maybe you'd be going to it," Jack said awkwardly.

Audrey smiled. "They invited me but I declined. I didn't think I'd be very good company today. Please, come in."

Jack finally stepped into the entrance, the same one that he had walked into more than a year-and-a-half before with his gun drawn ready to take Audrey away from her father by force if necessary.

"You… you look good, Audrey," Jack stammered

"Thanks," Audrey mumbled looking down at the floor tiles.

"Here," Jack said holding the presents out in front of him. "These are for you. You can put them under your Christmas tree and open them in the morning," he suggested. Audrey knew that he was talking just to fill dead air.

"Thank you," Audrey whispered again as she took the gifts from him. "Would you like to come in and sit down? I could make some coffee."

"I don't want you to go to any trouble," Jack said shaking his head.

"It's no trouble. Of course, if you have other plans, I understand," Audrey added hastily.

"No, no, I don't have any plans. I was just going to drop these off and head back to the marina."

"The marina? Are you staying at a hotel there?" Audrey asked as she backed up so that Jack could enter.

He took a tentative step forward as if he wasn't quite sure what to do. "No, I'm staying on _The Escape._" Audrey recognized the name of Phillip Bauer's yacht. "The boat is actually considered part of BXJ's property, but Marilyn never uses it. She wanted to turn the ownership over to me, but since I wasn't planning on using it for a while, I had her store it in dry dock. When I decided to come back to LA for a while, I had it put back in the water at the marina. It gives me a place of my own to stay. I hate living out of a hotel."

Audrey continued to walk through the entrance to a glass enclosed patio that overlooked the Pacific Ocean. She set the presents down on a table there and then turned to go into the kitchen. Jack followed docilely. "Are you spending Christmas with Kim?"

Jack shook his head and looked down. "No, she still doesn't want to see me. We spoke briefly. I had some presents for her. I gave them to Marilyn to deliver."

"I'm sorry, Jack. I know how much that hurts you. Keep in contact with her and I think she'll come around some day. At some point she's going to realize how wonderful it is to have a father and that turning her back on you is a mistake."

"I hope so," Jack said in a virtually inaudible whisper. They were both silent for a moment. "Audrey, I was sorry to hear about your father. He was a good man. I know how much you miss him."

Audrey smiled vaguely and stared with unnecessarily intense concentration at the coffee maker as she filled the reservoir with water. "He was a son-of-a-bitch, Jack, and you of all people should know that."

"Don't say that, Audrey. He loved you more than anything in the world. He would have given his life to protect you and make sure you were happy."

"I know he loved me and I loved him. He may have been a son-of-a-bitch but he was my father and he did what he thought was best for me. I don't fault him, I really don't, but what he did to you, what he said to you, was wrong. He had no right to call you 'cursed' or to forbid you to see me."

"He was just trying to protect you. Believe me, Audrey, as a father, I understood where he was coming from. Don't think for a minute that I wouldn't do the same thing if I thought someone was a threat to my own daughter."

Audrey poured the coffee into two large mugs and handed one to Jack. "Let's go sit down," she suggested.

She picked up a plate of Christmas cookies that a friend had made for her and led Jack back to the enclosed patio where they sat down. She chose a sofa hoping that Jack would sit next to her, but was disappointed when he chose a chair. Both sipped coffee silently for a moment and then, almost grateful for a diversion, each reached toward the table to pick up a cookie.

"Good cookies," Jack said. Audrey knew that he was looking for absolutely anything to break the tension. "Did you bake them?"

"No, my neighbor did. I just couldn't face any of the Christmas traditions this year. I didn't even decorate or put up a Christmas tree," she said shrugging. She turned her head away and blinked back tears.

"Why don't you open your presents," Jack suggested. Again, Audrey was sure that he was just trying to fill the silence. He picked up the first box and handed it to her. "Go ahead. Open it."

"This was sweet of you. You shouldn't have," Audrey said slipping her hand under the seam of the red foil paper.

Jack smiled a slow, half-smile. "I saw that one," he pointed to the one she was opening, "in a market in Damascus and I knew you would like it. The other one came from Bethlehem. It seemed fitting to give it to you for Christmas."

"Damascus and Bethlehem?" Audrey said incredulously. "So that's where you've been hiding! I have this feeling that you weren't in the Middle East as a tourist."

Jack looked at the floor like a child caught in a lie. "Actually you're only partially right. I was in Bethlehem as a tourist."

"But not in Damascus?"

"No," Jack said finally meeting her gaze. "I was in Damascus and about half of the Middle East for the last eighteen months gathering information on terrorist cells for the Israeli intelligence service."

"You were working for the Mossad?"

Jack nodded and sighed. He stood and walked to the window and stared out at the ocean. Audrey sat with the partially opened gift on her lap and said nothing. She knew him well enough to realize that he was taking the moment to decide exactly how much he could tell her about the last eighteen months of his life. It was at least two minutes before he spoke. His back was still facing her.

"When I came here that morning after the terrorist attacks, with my gun, I had no intention of leaving you here. I wanted to take you away and care for you. I wanted to make sure that no one ever hurt you again. I was so full of guilt and so angry with myself for what happened to you."

"Jack," Audrey interrupted. "None of that was your fault. I went to China to try and broker a deal. It wasn't your fault that you were kidnapped and what happened to me wasn't your fault. Don't ever feel guilty for that. I was never angry with you and I never blamed you."

"I know that, Audrey," Jack said as he finally turned and sat down beside her. He took her hands in his. Audrey couldn't help but notice the scars on his hands. "The rational part of my brain knows that none of it was my fault, but the irrational part tells me that if I had never gotten involved with you years ago in Washington, that you wouldn't have ended up being tortured in a Chinese prison."

He continued. "The truth, Audrey, is that your father was partially right. _Emotionally_ I was in no position at that moment to take care of you. I had a lot of guilt and anger and pain that I had to work through. You needed medical care and therapy and a secure environment that I simply wasn't prepared to give you _at that moment_. Where your father was wrong was asking me to stay away from you forever. But in my emotional state at the time, what he was saying made sense to me. He played upon my fears of you getting hurt or targeted again. When I saw you, lying in your bed sleeping so peacefully, I made an emotional decision to leave and not come back. It was one of the worst decisions that I've ever made but at the time I thought it was in your best interest. Now I know that I was simply responding to your father's suggestion. I was still acting like a kidnapping victim. I believed that everything was my fault and that I should be punished for it by having to live without you. So, I left here with a broken heart to try and put my life back together."

Audrey took her hands away from Jack's. This time it was her turn to go to the window and stand, arms crossed in front of her, with her back facing Jack. "And apparently my father was right. You couldn't escape the only life that you ever knew. You had to go back into undercover and field work. You couldn't find a Monday to Friday, nine to five job and live in the world with the rest of us. You had to live in the shadows and hunt down terrorists and send coded messages to your handlers. Damn it, Jack! Why do you have to live that way? Why do you love that life so much? Why do I have to love a man who can't make a living in corporate America and come home to his wife and kids every night?" she said not even trying to hide the hurt in her voice.

Jack came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry," Audrey whispered. "I didn't mean that. Please don't be angry with me." She tilted her head back and rested it against Jack's shoulder.

"Don't be sorry. I deserved that," he whispered in return. "If you'll let me defend myself," he said after holding her for a few moments longer, "I'll explain why I said before that your father was only partially right. Let's take a walk."

Jack let his hand slide down Audrey's arm. He took her hand and walked her to the sliding glass door that led to a stone walkway and steps down to the beach. They walked silently until they reached the water's edge. The December sun was already beginning to set over the water and it gave the sky and the water a stunning reddish-orange glow. Audrey watched the sun set most days but it seemed to be more beautiful that particular day. She wondered if it was really so or if it was just that watching the sun set with Jack standing next to her made it that way.

"Jack, I'm sorry about what I said," Audrey apologized again. "I was just blowing off steam. I'll love you regardless of what kind of work you do or where in the world it takes you. Just say the word and I'll be packed and on my way. If that's what you want, then that's what I want," Audrey assured him. "I just want us to be together."

Jack frowned. "Listen to yourself, Audrey. Now you're the one who sounds like a kidnapping victim. You'll agree to anything as long as I don't hurt you again. I don't want you to feel that way and I don't ever want you to blindly follow me around the world. I don't want to hold you captive."

"But you do hold me captive. You've held my heart for almost as long as I've known you. I can't stop loving you, Jack."

"I love you, too, but if we're to have a relationship, it's going to be an equal partnership. But we're getting ahead of ourselves here," Jack added. "I'm still trying to explain why your father was wrong about me."

Audrey tugged at Jack's hand as she sat down on the sand. He followed suit and sat down next to her. "Explain. I'm listening."

"I told you already, that when I left here that morning, my heart was broken. I was broken. I had nothing. I'd lost you. I'd lost my daughter. I didn't have an identity. I didn't have a job or friends or a home. I was nothing. I walked for hours. I was exhausted but I couldn't stop myself. I just kept walking. I finally realized how hungry and tired I was and I knew that I had to get some food and rest. I wasn't too far from Bill's house, so I decided to go there and hope he would help me out. You know Bill. He was wonderful. I'm sure he's told you what happened. I showed up at his house like a lost dog and he took me in. It worked out well. Bill went to Vermont with Karen, so I took care of the house for them. I stayed for about a month. It gave me time to decide what to do with my life. I took stock of things and they really didn't look much better a month later than they did the moment I walked away from this house. I still had nothing. I had some friends in Israeli intelligence from years back and I decided to see if they would hire me. I saw it as a fresh start. It was a new beginning: a new job, a new country and thousands and thousands of miles between you and me. And even better, I knew that intelligence work required my undivided attention. I wouldn't have a lot of extra time on my hands to think of you."

"How did you get to Israel without leaving a trail? I had friends with connections back in Washington who did some checking for me. You weren't on any flight manifests. We checked every mode of transportation from the west coast and we couldn't find you."

"My new employers were interested in my keeping a low profile. They arranged for travel and identification. I never traveled under my real name," Jack told her.

"So, for the last year and a half you've been running around the Middle East at the behest of the Israeli government?"

"Don't make it sound like they forced me to do it, Audrey. I took the job willingly."

"And when do you plan to go back?" she asked hesitantly.

"I don't," Jack answered softly. "I'm not going back."

"Never?"

"Never. I'm finished with field work."

"How can you be so sure? When you moved to DC and took the job with my father, you said that you'd never go back to field work, but you did. What makes you so sure that you won't go back?"

Jack turned his head and stared at the ocean. "Something that happened in Syria about two months ago," he said quietly.

A moment passed before either of them spoke. "Can you tell me about it?" Audrey asked suspecting that the information may be classified.

Jack closed his eyes and gathered his thoughts. "My team was working to eradicate a terrorist cell that was making plans for a strike in Western Europe. We followed them through three countries and we were finally ready to make our move in Syria." Jack stopped and smiled softly. "As I'm sure you can imagine, I don't blend in real well in the Middle East. So I was playing the part of a tourist. The cell's leader was staying in a posh hotel in Damascus. I stayed in the same hotel and was waiting in the lobby in the morning when he left. We were pretty sure that he was going to meet up with the rest of his cell. He never stayed in the same place as the other cell members, but he always met up with them around mid-morning on the day after he arrived in a new city. We also knew that their meetings had been getting shorter and shorter. They were obviously worried about being in one place for too long. Consequently, we knew that we only had a short time to set our plan into motion once the cell got together.

"Anyway, he left the hotel and I followed. He had his driver take a long circuitous route. Eventually he got out of the car at a big open air market. That wasn't unusual either. He would use it as a chance to lose any tail and then get into another car on the other side of the marketplace. I gave his some time to get into the crowd and then I followed him in. I had my eye on him. He stopped to talk to a couple of merchants that were also on our watch list. I didn't want to be too conspicuous in the market, so I started looking at the merchandise while I was keeping my eye on him. The vendor that I was standing in front of had beautiful hand crafted glass vases. The next thing I knew, I was holding a vase and remembering how you used to arrange flowers in your townhouse in Washington. It was like someone picked me up and transported me back five years and dropped me in Washington. All I could think of was you and how much you'd love the vase.

"Without even thinking about what I was doing, I stopped and bought the vase. All of the sudden I realized that, I'd lost sight of my mark. I had no idea where he was or where he'd gone. It screwed up the whole operation. It was two days before we sighted him again and by then, his cell had already moved on. It took us another three weeks and a trip through two more countries before we finally caught up with both the leader and the cell and were able to eradicate them.

"When the mission was over and we went back to Jerusalem. Before we even debriefed, I turned in my resignation. I realized that I couldn't take the risk of ever putting my team in danger like that again."

"You feel that way now," Audrey said shaking her head. "But do you think you'll feel the same way next month or next year or ten years from now? What makes you so sure that you're done with undercover work?"

"My heart wasn't in it any more. I knew that from the time I went to Israel, but I forced myself to do the work because I thought that it was all I had. The week I spent with Bill and Karen last summer made it even worse. I looked at them, at how happy they were, and I asked myself what the hell I was doing sitting in a stifling attic window in the middle of some desert city watching someone for hours at a time. I kept telling myself that the work was important, and it is, but it's not for me anymore. I wanted that happiness that Karen and Bill found. I wanted it for myself and I wanted it for us." Jack gently grasped Audrey's shoulders and turned her to face him. "I'm finished with that life forever, Audrey. I swear to you that I'll never go back. I understand now what a toll that life took on me. I don't know how to make you believe me. All I can do is give you my word and hope that you'll give me another chance."

Audrey's eyes filled with tears. "When my father told me that you came in here that morning and aimed your gun at him, I secretly wished that you'd killed him. I wished that you would have just pulled the trigger and taken me away from here. I've missed you so much, Jack. I've tried every conceivable way to find you and tell you how I felt and to tell you how my father felt. He was sorry. He truly was. He knew what he did was wrong but by the time he would admit it, it was too late to rectify the situation. He was dying and there was no way to track you down."

"I'm sorry, Audrey. I never wanted to hurt you. I left here hoping that you wouldn't hate me and that you'd be able to move on."

"I never hated you and I didn't want to move on, Jack. I've hoped against hope that you'd come back to me," she sobbed.

Jack pulled her into his arms. "I'm back, baby, and I'm not leaving. I promise you that the only way you're going to get rid of me is to throw me out! I want us to be together, Audrey. I want that more than I've ever wanted anything in my life."

They held each other for a long time. Audrey rested against Jack and reveled in the warmth of his arms. She pressed her face against the crook of his neck and inhaled his soft, musky scent. She felt his hand caressing her back and she shivered slightly when his hand reached the base of her neck.

"Cold?" he asked.

"A little I guess," she lied. How could she tell him that his touch simply sent her over the edge?

"Let's go inside then," Jack suggested. "You still have presents to open," he reminded her with an animated gleam in his eyes. With that he stood and helped Audrey up. Arms latched around each other's waist, they climbed the stone stairs to the house.

Once again Jack picked up the smaller present and handed it to Audrey. "Open it," he directed.

Audrey smiled. She looked at the poor wrapping job and knew that Jack had taken pains to wrap the presents himself. It was silly, but it endeared him to her even more. "So, this is the vase from the Syrian market place that almost cost you your job!" she laughed. "What did your team say when you told them how you lost sight of your mark?"

"I never told them the truth," Jack admitted with a wry smile. "I said that we got separated and that I lost him in the crowd. I felt like a fool. Any rookie agent could have kept this guy in sight and with all of my experience I lost him." He shook his head. "I probably should have quit right then and there but I couldn't let my team down that way."

Audrey opened the package and sorted through the packing material while she listened to Jack. She finally lifted the stunning vase from its nest. It was made of a blue glass painted with gold leaf. Its top lip and base were studded with an intricate mosaic of semi-precious stones. "Oh, Jack! This is beautiful! I love it and I love that it made you think of me, even if it did almost get you fired!"

"Open the other one," he urged as he set the large box in her lap.

Audrey opened the second box to reveal a hand-carved wooden Nativity set. "Oh, Jack," Audrey said again. "This was so sweet of you. I was just dreading Christmas this year and you've made it so wonderful. I can't thank you enough." She smiled at him not sure what to do next. She wanted to kiss him but was afraid. Things were going so well, she didn't want to do anything that might upset the perfect moment.

"Merry Christmas," Jack smiled. "Oh, I almost forgot," he said as he reached into the pocket of his jacket and grinned impishly. "I thought we might need this. It's a little crushed, but I think it still works," he said as he tried to flatten out the bent leaves.

"Mistletoe!" Audrey laughed. "Jack, you're crazy!"

"I've been called worse," he laughed in return.

Audrey shook her head. "You never cease to amaze me!" she told him.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" he asked looking puzzled.

"I guess it's a good thing," Audrey replied. "When I first met you in Washington, I fell in love with this side of you. You were gentle and sweet. You made me laugh and you were so kind to me. Then we came to LA and my father and I were kidnapped. All of the sudden I was seeing a different side of you. Believe me, I was grateful that you were there and that you ignored orders and saved us, but I was shocked. By the end of the day, I didn't think that I liked that other side of you. It took me a while to figure out, but now I understand that both parts are necessary to make a whole Jack Bauer. Sometimes one part shows up more than the other, if that makes sense. Like right now, you pulled out mistletoe and all I can see is that gentle, fun side of you. Your field agent side is somewhere in hiding."

Jack smiled an understanding smile and looked down at the mistletoe. "You're right. In a way, I'm two people. When I was married, I definitely lived two lives. Terri knew one side of me and that was it. She occasionally caught a glimpse of my other side when there was no way to hide it. I wanted it that way. I didn't want her to know the other side of me because I was afraid that she wouldn't love that side of me. When I dated Kate Warner, it was just the opposite. Kate knew the field agent side of me first and I didn't like that. I felt like I had to work extra hard for her to see the other side of me. She never felt that way, but I always felt like I had to work too hard when we were together. You were more like Terri. I tried to hide the field agent side from you. And when you saw that side, you confirmed all of my fears by telling me that you couldn't love me."

Audrey looked down, embarrassed by the memory. "I'm sorry, Jack," she said sincerely. "I was wrong and I just couldn't see it at the time."

"Don't apologize. I don't blame you. I know what a shock it is to see that world close up. That's why I wanted to shield you from that world and who I really was. What I've come to realize over the last few months is that I did both you and Terri a disservice. Trying to hide half of myself from you, trying to live two lives, was wrong. You were right when you said that those two halves make the whole Jack Bauer. You can't know me without knowing both halves. And I think I'm finally comfortable with that. I think that after all of these years of trying to be one person in some situations and another person in other situations, I'm finally comfortable in my own skin.

"Audrey, I'm at a point in my life where I want 'Agent Bauer' to take a secondary role in my life, but that part will never totally go away. He is part of me and I can't deny that. I just hope you can still love me knowing that."

Tear filled Audrey's eyes. "Of course I still love you. I've loved you from our first date and I'll love you forever. I just want us to be together."

Neither spoke for a moment, then Jack held the sprig of mistletoe above his head. "Well?"

"I suppose you expect a kiss," Audrey said coyly.

"That's usually the point of standing under the mistletoe. Unless this mistletoe doesn't have any magic left in it."

"No," Audrey said softly. "I think I still feel some magic. Just enough to make me do this," she whispered as she leaned into him and pressed a tender kiss to his lips.

"You're right," Jack whispered as they pulled back slightly. Their lips were nearly touching as he spoke. "I do still feel just a little bit of magic left in that mistletoe." They kissed again, this time deeply, with lips parted and tongues wrestling. It was a long passionate kiss. "So, what were your plans for this evening?" Jack asked when the kiss finally broke.

"I don't have any."

Jack pulled away a little and looked surprised. "You don't have any plans for Christmas Eve?"

"No, I was just going to watch _It's a Wonderful Life_ and then cry myself to sleep. What were your plans?"

"I was going to sit on the deck of the boat and look at all the Christmas lights at the marina and drink until I passed out," Jack admitted.

"Since neither of us had much in the way of plans, maybe we could spend the evening together."

"That sounds like a good idea. There's a wonderful restaurant, _Del Carmen's_, down at the marina. I've known the manager there for years. I bet I can get us a table. Would you like that?"

"It would be perfect. As long as I don't have to spend tonight alone in this dreary house, I'll be happy."

Within minutes Jack had sweet-talked the restaurant manager, Lenny, into a table for two with a view of the marina at 8:30. Lenny didn't have to be told that there would be a big tip in this for him. He had started working at _Del Carmen's_ as a bartender almost 25 years before and eventually became the manager. Jack was a college student and a regular at the bar when Lenny started. They became friends and had remained so over the years.

Jack and Audrey kissed goodbye with plans to meet at the restaurant at 8 o'clock. Audrey stood on the front porch and watched Jack drive away. She knew that she had a ridiculously large smile on her face, but she couldn't help it. She didn't remember when she was last this happy. If she was honest with herself, she would admit that she hadn't been this happy since she and Jack were dating back in Washington years earlier. Quietly she said a prayer that this time it would last, that this time no one and nothing would interfere with their lives and their love.

Once Jack was out of sight, Audrey went back into the house and practically danced to her bedroom. She turned on the radio and took a second to find a station that was playing continuous Christmas music. She sang along with the music and danced her way into the shower. While she washed her hair and shaved her long legs, she mentally breezed through her closet to decide on the perfect outfit. It had to be festive but sexy. That wasn't an easy combination to come up with. As she stepped out of the shower, she remembered a dark red cocktail dress that she had bought shortly before she went to China in hopes of rescuing Jack. She had nearly forgotten about it and it hung in the back of her closet with the tags still on. It was perfect. The dark red was just right for Christmas. It was a satiny sheath with spaghetti straps that hugged her curves. It fell to just above her knees and had a short slit in the side. She would wear the simple dress with big jewelry and complete the outfit with strappy, silver sandals and a shawl tossed over her shoulders. By the time she completed her make up and pulled her hair into an updo, it was time to drive to the marina. Audrey stood in front of her full length mirror and smiled. She looked great and she knew it. And she knew that Jack would think so, too.

Forty-five minutes later, Audrey parked her car a lot at the marina. She stepped out of the car and tugged her shawl around her shoulders to fend off the cool air. It was a beautiful evening. The sky was clear and filled with stars and a full moon so big and low in the sky that it looked like you could reach out and touch it. Between the reflected light of the full moon and all of the Christmas lights on buildings and boats, it was nearly as bright as midday. Speakers, hidden among the landscaping, filled the air with holiday music. Audrey walked along the boardwalk toward the restaurant. As she walked she passed several couples or groups of people all in festive moods and offering good wishes for the season.

As she approached the restaurant, Audrey glanced through the plate glass windows and saw Jack sitting at the bar chatting with a man she suspected was Lenny. The smile on Jack's face told the story. He was happy. For probably the first time since he left Washington with her on that trip to LA years before, he was really happy. The glow on his face was nearly radiant and it made Audrey smile just as broadly.

Jack spotted Audrey through the window. He stood immediately and went to the entrance to open the door for her. They exchanged a quick kiss and Jack led Audrey to the bar.

"Let me guess," Lenny said. "You must be Audrey." He extended his hand to her. "What are you doing with a bum like Jack Bauer?" he teased. "A beautiful woman like you shouldn't be settling for the likes of him. I would make a much better catch."

Audrey laughed. "I know," she said with a grin. "But I feel sorry for him and he's kind of cute so I thought I'd keep him around."

"It sounds like you're talking about a stray dog!" Jack said feigning annoyance. "What would you like to drink, honey?"

"I'm making cranberry martinis," Lenny told her. "You won't get a better one anywhere."

"Sounds great," Audrey agreed as she sat on a barstool next to Jack.

It only took Lenny a few seconds to pour Audrey's drink and set it on a napkin in front of her. He moved on to take care of other bar patrons giving Jack and Audrey a chance to talk.

"A toast," Jack offered as he raised his glass, "to the most beautiful woman I've ever seen on one of the happiest nights of my life: may this feeling never end."

Audrey couldn't speak. Her eyes welled with tears and she smiled as their glasses touched.

The rest of the evening was equally magical. They finished their drinks and moved on to the dining room. Dinner was delicious and the view was magnificent. It was nearly midnight when Jack and Audrey finally left the restaurant with plans to go back to the yacht for a nightcap. Lenny insisted that they take a quart of his special eggnog back to the yacht with them. "I put some extra brandy in this batch. It'll put her right in the mood," he whispered to Jack as he handed him the bottle.

They strolled slowly, hand in hand, to _The Escape_. Like most of the other sailboats and yachts, _The Escape_ was decorated in lights. _Decorated _might have actually been an understatement. _Covered_ in lights was more correct. Lights adorned every inch of railing. Windows and portholes all had candles in them. Unlike the other boats, _The Escape_ had a seven-foot tall lighted Christmas tree on the deck. Audrey couldn't help but laugh as they approached. Decorating was entirely out of character for Jack.

"What do you think?" he asked hopefully. "You didn't have any decorations at your house, so I thought you might like it if I put up some lights and a tree."

Audrey giggled uncontrollably. "Did you put all of this up after you left my house? Where did you find this many lights on Christmas Eve?"

Now Jack was laughing, too. "I guess I over did it, didn't I? It's just that I wanted our first Christmas together to be something that you'd never forget."

"Jack, you are so sweet," Audrey said as she kissed his cheek. "I will never forget this night, not any of it. This is the most wonderful Christmas that I've ever had."

Jack and Audrey boarded the yacht. Audrey headed straight up on deck while Jack went to the bar to pour two glasses of eggnog. He carried the drinks up to the deck. Audrey had already kicked off her shoes and was stretched out on a comfortable chaise in front of the Christmas tree. Jack handed her the drink and sat down next to her.

"Have I mentioned in the last five minutes how much I love you?" she asked as Jack took off his suit jacket and draped it over her bare shoulders.

"Yes, but I don't mind hearing it again," he answered kissing her softly. They snuggled cozily and sipped at their drinks while staring out at the myriad of lights that shimmered on the water. "If it's getting too cold out here, we can go below deck," Jack suggested. "Or," he started in a more tentative tone. "If you want to go home, I'll walk you back to your car."

Audrey bit her lip lightly. She was clear to her that Jack was being very careful. Despite the fact that they had been lovers in the past, he obviously wanted to take care and not push her. "I really don't want to go home, Jack. Home isn't a happy place for me. This might sound silly, but I'm happy right here. If you're comfortable, I'd just like to fall asleep here with the lights all around us."

"It's fine with me," Jack assured her.

They went below deck long enough to find clothes to sleep in and blankets to snuggle under. The rest of the night was spent happily sharing a chaise under the stars. Both exhausted from all of the emotions of the day and the extra brandy that Lenny put in the eggnog, Jack and Audrey fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms.

Christmas morning was a beautiful, sunny affair. Jack and Audrey crawled sleepily from under the blankets and Jack made breakfast in the sizable galley. They took the breakfast up on deck to eat, as had many of the owners of the neighboring boats. Holiday greetings were shouted from yacht to yacht and back again and the spirit of the season was everywhere.

After going back to Audrey's house for a change of clothes, they took the yacht out for a cruise to Catalina and spent the day on the beach there just enjoying the sunshine and each other's company. It was there that their future started taking shape.

"So now that you're out of the spy game, what do you plan to do with your life, Jack Bauer," Audrey asked playfully.

"Well, Bill and I have a book that's about three-quarters written. I'd like to be able to finish that. Bill's publisher thinks that it's going to be a hit. If it is, we have a couple of sequels already mapped out. Our goal is to make it a series about a counter terrorist unit. Real original, isn't it? Other than that, I was planning to give Marilyn some help at BXJ. She's done a great job at digging the company out from under a ton of bad publicity. She's good at that, but she admits that she doesn't have a really good handle at running the company. She hired a chief operating officer to help, but we both feel strongly that we want the company to stay in the family. It belongs to Kim and Josh. Kim is already working there. Josh has another year and a half of high school, then college. Marilyn and I feel that we should be able to turn the company over to them fully in ten years. Until then, I'm willing to work there at least part time."

"So you plan to stay in LA?"

"Not necessarily. With working on the book with Bill, I need to spend some time on the east coast as well. My plan is to spend a couple of weeks to a month at a time on each coast." Jack stopped for a moment. "Audrey, all of this is contingent upon you. I've thought a lot about all of this, but if you have other plans, we'll make them work. This is a decision that we have to make together and we don't have to make it this minute. I know this is all very sudden, Audrey. I just waltzed back into your life yesterday; I don't expect you to be ready to make any decisions yet. Why don't we go away for a couple of weeks? That way we can take some time to think things over."

"That sounds nice," Audrey agreed. "Could we take the yacht and head south? That would be a nice vacation."

Jack was quick to shake his head. "Not a good idea. I'm willing to live on it in the marina and take it for short cruises like this one, but it's been in dry dock for a long time and it's an old boat. It really needs a lot of work. I wouldn't feel safe taking it any long distance."

"Okay, well then we have to think of something else. Did you want to stay in this country or go abroad?"

"I don't care, but I'd like to feel a little cold weather this winter. I've been in the Middle East for the last 18 months. I'm tired of hot weather. I'd like to see some snow."

"Great idea! A change of climate would be nice. Hey, wait a minute," Audrey exclaimed. "Bill and Karen invited me to Vermont for Christmas. They said that Chloe and Morris were going to be there and so were Nadia and Mike. I was so busy trying to make sure that I was miserable, that I turned them down, but I know the invitation is still open. I talked to Karen two days ago and she was still asking me to reconsider."

Jack nodded enthusiastically. "They invited me, too and I turned them down. We could fly to Vermont and see Bill and Karen for a few days and then go to a ski resort for a week or so."

With their immediate future all planned out, Audrey and Jack spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the beach. The sun was getting low in the sky when they decided to head back to the yacht and return to LA. On the way, Audrey got on the computer and made airline reservations for the next day. The early flight, with a brief layover in New York City, would get them to Burlington, Vermont around 8 o'clock in the evening. They were just about to call Bill and Karen to wish them a Merry Christmas and to let them know that they were coming to Vermont, when they decided that it would be more fun to surprise them.

Once back in LA, the rest of Jack's and Audrey's Christmas day was consumed with packing for their trip to the east coast. And with that task finally complete by nine o'clock that evening, the two poured glasses of champagne and settled back once again on the deck of the yacht. Maybe it was the day spent in the sun or maybe it was the champagne, but both Jack and Audrey could feel a difference in the mood from the previous night when they had been content to cuddle and chat playfully while occasionally kissing softly. As their first glasses of champagne disappeared, their conversation dwindled and their kisses became more passionate.

Jack pulled back slightly after a long series of kisses. "Were you planning on spending tonight here on deck?" he asked.

Audrey smiled. She knew that Jack could have easily phrased that same question: "Should I rip your clothes off here where the people on the next boat can see us or would you rather go below deck where I can do that in private?" but he was too much of a gentleman to say that. "Let's go below deck," she said seductively. At first she had been nervous about allowing their relationship to take a physical turn so quickly, but after their long discussion about their future that day, her concerns lifted and she knew that she was ready to resume the relationship that had so abruptly ended nearly five years before.

By morning the couple dragged themselves out of bed in order to get to the airport in time for their flight. They were both exhausted, having slept less than an hour. At some point around three in the morning and after a particularly intense climax, Jack had suggested that they might want to get some sleep. "Why?" Audrey whispered back. "We can sleep for six hours on the plane." With that in mind, Jack rolled her over and made love to her again.

They arrived in Vermont late in the day. The cold New England night was a huge change from the warm sun of the southern California beach the day before. Audrey picked up the rental car while Jack retrieved their luggage and soon they were on their way to the Buchanan's house. Both found themselves surprisingly excited and trying hard to suppress some giddiness as they drove up the long driveway. As they pulled up in front of the house, they could see a big Christmas tree illuminating a picture window in the living room. Simple swags of lighted garland lit the porch which ran the length of three sides of the house. It couldn't have been prettier if it had been painted by Currier and Ives and Audrey couldn't believe how happy she was as they rang the doorbell.

Bill opened the door and gasped in surprise.

"Merry Christmas!" Jack and Audrey said in unison. "Are we too late for the party?" Audrey asked.

Bill was too stunned to speak but instead pulled Audrey into his arms and reached a hand out to Jack. By then Karen had followed him to the entrance hall and was equally surprised to see their guests. As expected, Chloe and Morris were there with their now nearly one year old daughter, Mary. Nadia and Mike had also made the trip from LA. Karen had told Audrey a few weeks earlier that the two were doing better and their marriage appeared stronger. They decided to spend Christmas with the Buchanans and then go to New York City for a few days before heading back to LA.

Hugs and kisses were exchanged all around and Duffer pranced back and forth seeming to feed off of the excitement of the humans around him. Jack and Audrey were just in time for dessert and after dinner drinks. Mary fell asleep in "Uncle Jack's" arms (Chloe had offered to put her to bed, but Jack seemed content to hold her.) while her parents and everyone else caught up on what was happening in their lives.

Karen and Bill stood off to one side, arms draped around each other's waists. They presided over the party almost like proud parents who had watched their children grow up and make lives and families for themselves. Audrey watched them and admired them. They hadn't been fortunate enough to meet at an earlier age and have their own family, but they had created a family who loved them like parents and that was enough for both of them. She would pull Bill and Karen aside later and thank them. She knew that without their gentle encouragement that Jack would still be following some terrorist somewhere in the Middle East tonight and that she would be sitting alone in her father's house in Malibu. She snuggled closer to Jack knowing that she owed Bill and Karen an undying debt of gratitude and she would never forget it.

Audrey's parents were gone, as were Jack's, but the strength and stability that Bill and Karen provided would guide them through any hard times, as well as celebrate with them in the happy times. Less than two days before she and Jack had both been alone in the world. Now they were part of a family again and both realized how good that felt. Audrey smiled at Bill and Karen. They caught her eye and both smiled back. Like she and Jack, Bill and Karen had been driven to achieve in their early careers. They had given themselves to their employers and worked countless hours. They had sacrificed much. Circumstances beyond their control brought all of that to an abrupt, but welcome, end. They had fought back against forces that tried to pull them apart, to create a happy and loving relationship that would see them through to the end of their days. Audrey smiled to herself as she realized that she was viewing Bill and Karen with the same awe that she had viewed her own parents when she was a child; her mind repeating one sentence over and over: _When I grow up, I want to be just like them!_

_Hey! Hope that helped you to resolve season 6 like it did for me. I had a hard time trying to convey the mood and emotion that I was hoping for. I'm not sure if I was successful or not, but I was tired of revising it so I decided to post it and let you tell me what you think. I was also going to get into the future and all of the happily ever afters, but it all seemed so trite that I decided to leave it here. So, if you've read to this point, REVIEW!!! Let me know what you think. I'm always happy to get your opinions._


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